Spaetzle with Paprika Sauce

                           We finished our study on Germany so I wanted to make something that I remembered eating at a German restaurant that was near my home as a kid.  It was spaetzle.  It was served instead of potatoes.  It's kind of a noodle, and kind of a dumpling.  It tastes great just with butter, or with a sauce ladled on it.

                           When it came to how I was going to serve them, I decided I would use a sauce.  I was going for one based on a Jaeger Schnitzel sauce, which has mushrooms in it.  Those of you who have read my blog, know I don't like mushrooms.  I think if you like mushrooms you can put them in though.  I served the spaetzle with schnitzel made with chicken breasts(otherwise known as a chicken cutlet), and poured the sauce over both.  It was really yummy.



                          I know there is a spaetzle machine that forms them, but I actually found a technique that is easy and really doesn't take that long.  You simply place some dough on a cutting board(I used a melamine board for its smoothness).  Flatten the dough a bit, and then over a pot of boiling water use a knife to scrape bits of dough into the pot.  Kind of use the edge of the board as a jumping off point.  They float to the top when they are done.  Then scoop them out, and then continue with the next batch.  It helps to dip the knife in the water to keep the dough from sticking to it.  The kids actually enjoyed watching the process.

Ingredients

1. 3 Cups all purpose flour
2. 1/2 Cup of water
3. 4 eggs
4. 1/8 tsp nutmeg
5. 1/4 tsp salt

Ingredients for sauce

1. 2 Tbl butter
2. 1 small carrot
3. 1/2 small onion
4. 1 Tbl oil
5. 3 Tbl flour
6. 2 Cups beef stock
7. 1 1/2 tsp paprika
8. 1 tsp salt
9. 1/4 tsp pepper
10. 1 Tbl sour cream 

Bring a large pot of water to boil.

For the spaetzle, combine the flour with the nutmeg and salt in a bowl.  Then make a well in the bowl.  Add the eggs and the water.  Mix it all together with a large wooden spoon.  The dough should be elastic and not runny.  If it is too dry, add a little more water.

 Once it is mixed place a large spoonful of dough on a cutting board.  Flatten it a bit.  Then hold the board on the edge of the pot.  Use a knife,(like a butter knife), to scrape the dough into the pot.  Dip the knife in water after every few scrapes.   This keeps the dough from sticking to the knife.  Once the dough floats, which is just a few minutes, you scoop them out of the pot and place them in a container.  I tossed a little butter in them to keep them from sticking together.

For the sauce, heat the oil in a saucepan.  Then add the chopped carrot and onion.  Saute until the onion is translucent.

Then add the butter to the pot and let it melt.  Add the flour and stir it in.  Keep stirring for a few minutes.  Slowly add the beef broth so as not to form lumps.  Then add the spices.  Let it cook on low heat until the vegetables are softened.

Instead of draining the vegetables, I blended the sauce in a blender.  Once it was smooth I stirred the sour cream into it.

Pour this over the spaetzle and if you are serving it with schnitzel, pour over that as well.